According to the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, archaeologists have discovered the remnants of what is believed to be a watchtower from the period of the Norwegian King Sverre (1184-1202), in the city of Trondheim, Norway.

The tower was mentioned in a saga written about a massacre that took place in the city in 1206, proving its existence at least at the time of King Sverre's death in the early 13th century.

In the prelude up to King Sverre's ascendancy to the Norwegian throne, Norway was engaged in multiple civil wars largely caused by the lack of any clear succession laws and strong state institutions.

The civil war period started after the death of the Norwegian King Sigurd I Jorsalfare (the Jerusalem farer) in 1130 and lasted until 1240 when King Haakon the IV defeated his rival claimant to the royal throne Skule Bårdsson in battle.


During the civil war period Sverre Sigurdsson (King Sverre) became the leader of a rag tag army of peasants called the Birchlegs and engaged in what can best be called hit and run attacks on the proclaimed King Magnus's army.

At first the Birchlegs never engaged in more than mere skirmishes, but after Sverre's decisive victory at the battle of Kalvskinnet in 1179, he carved out a stronghold for himself in the city of Trondheim and the Trøndelag region.

From now on Sverre could muster an army as the King of Trøndelag and he launched his armies against King Magnus until he defeated his rival in a sea battle at Fimreite in 1184 making him the sole King of Norway.

The stone structure was unearthed at the mouth of the river Nidelv in the city of Trondheim, Norway, strategically placed in order to monitor the sea entrance into the city.

The tower, which may have been more than 20 meters high, is being called an "incredibly rare discovery" that can shed new light on Trondheim's history. It's only the second non-church-related stone structure found from the early Middle Ages in Trondheim and was discovered under two buildings that were about to be torn down to make way for a new hotel.

The portion that probably was the tower's first floor was being used as a vaulted cellar under the buildings. Sissel Skoglund of the state Office of Historic Monuments' Trondheim chapter, said it's subject to automatic preservation but may be incorporated into the hotel.

The archaeologist Ian Reed believes the tower was torn down in the late 1600s because residents needed its stone blocks for foundations for new homes built after a major fire, or for repairs to Nidaros Cathedral.